June 20, 1948 - May 30, 1971

ED SULLIVAN SHOW, THE, (TOAST OF THE TOWN)
Television's longest-running variety series. Originally, titled, TOAST OF THE TOWN, the name of the series changed on September 18, 1955, to THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW. Most remembered for introducing many stand-up comedians, and musical acts, including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, The Beatles. 

 Most of the 1,087 broadcasts, encompassing 10,000 performers, have been archived. The major exceptions are the first half-year of shows circa 1948 of which a few kinescope excerpts survive.
 
The ED SULLIVAN SHOW was a spectacular show-case that for twenty-three years entertained the American family. In its prime, more than thirty million viewers, young and old, tuned in at the same time to view popular culture.   

On this show, Ed Sullivan salutes the Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein play OKLAHOMA acknowledging its 12 anniversary. Hammerstein is interviewed by Ed Sullivan.                           

            October 18, 1954-May 27, 1957
Live ninety minute productions aired every fourth week. The range of material was vast, from dramas to musicals.

Presented on "PRODUCER'S SHOWCASE." This special color broadcast opens with the words, "The following program is brought to you in compatible color." For the first few years, NBC introduced all broadcasts presented in color with this introduction, prior to replacing the word "compatible" with the word "living" in 1957.
 
Classic fairy tale about a farm boy who trades the family cow for magic beans and climbs the beanstalk that grows from the beans, confronting an ogre. There are ten different songs presented in this live musical fantasy.                          

The 29th Annual Academy Award ceremonies for excellence in film in 1956 are telecast live from two locations; The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood California, and The NBC Century Theatre in New York City. The hosts are Jerry Lewis and Celeste Holm.
Personalities scheduled to appear include Robert Stack, Mercedes McCambridge, Mickey Rooney, Patty McCormack, Nancy Kelly, Anthony Quinn, Dorothy Malone, Elizabeth Taylor, Dorothy Dandridge, Jack Lemmon, Marge and Gower Champion, Eva Marie-Saint, Claire Trevor, George Seaton, Eddie Cantor, Carol Baker, Yul Brynner, Ernest Borgnine, Cary Grant, Janet Gaynor,    
and Anna Magnani.
Eddie Cantor receives an honorary award, Yul Brynner wins the best actor award for "The King and I," and Ingrid Bergman wins best actress award for "Anastasia."Cary Grant accepts the award for Ingrid Bergman."Around The World in Eighty Days" wins the best film award with producer Mike Todd accepting.                                                                                                     

 Theater is the subject. Joining host David Susskind are his guests, Jack Lemmon, Anthony Quinn, Brendan Beahan, Celeste Holme, George Devine, and Tennessee Williams.                          

Barry Gray was an American radio personality, often referred to as "the father of talk radio." His late-night New York City radio talk show was carried by WOR radio and then later by WMCA. 

Barry Gray returned to WMCA in 1950, and stayed there for 39 years, refining the talk show format still utilized today. During the 1960s, he was in the odd position of having an 11 p.m.-1 a.m. late-night talk show on a station otherwise dominated by Top 40 music and the youth-targeted "Good Guys" disc jockey campaign. But for teenagers who kept their radios on into the night, Gray's show was a window into the high-brow New York culture of the 1940s and 1950s.

Topic: Barry Gray discusses the virtue of the Academy Awards with guests David Susskind, Celeste Holme, Abby Mann and others.                                                               

The Premiere Pilot show on National Nighttime ABC Television is broadcast. Les Crane's guests include Harry Belafonte, Ricardo Montalban, Robert Preston, Celeste Holm and Mel Brooks, who does a satirical recap of tonight's broadcast. 

   
Television History of the LES CRANE SHOW

September 16, 1963 - July 31, 1964 (WABC N.Y.)
August 3 - 8, 1964 (ABC)
November 9, 1964 - February 26, 1965 (ABC)
June 28, 1965 - October 22, 1965 (Nightlife ABC)
January 15, 1968 - September 6, 1968 (WNEW N.Y.)

Debut of program was September 16, 1963. For the first month the title of the telecast was NIGHT LINE...LES CRANE. Beginning on October 22, 1963 the title was changed to THE LES CRANE SHOW. 

These late night LIVE broadcasts were aired Monday thru Friday. on local station WABC New York. Beginning December 6, 1963 late night broadcasts aired Tuesday thru Saturday. Also, another time slot opened for Crane with a similar format airing on WABC in the afternoon...a one hour version broadcast from 1:30-2:30pm, five days a week, and again returning to late night broadcasting usually 1am to 2:00am after the WABC late movie, THE BEST OF BROADWAY. This TALK SHOW / PHONE IN version of The Les Crane Show concluded its final broadcast  on July 31, 1964.

On August 3, 4, 5, 6, & 8, 1964 THE NEW LES CRANE SHOW premiered...a five program trial rivaling Johnny Carson's TONIGHT SHOW.  It was Nationally televised and it is considered the FIRST network talk show program to compete with THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON. 

On November 9, 1964 THE LES CRANE SHOW premiered and aired regularly weeknights on the ABC network, opposite Johnny Carson's TONIGHT SHOW.
After 14 weeks, and low ratings, this series ended with its last telecast airing on February 26, 1965. Les Crane's late night network career was over, as a solo host, and never to be resumed Nationally.

ABC renamed their late night time slot NIGHTLIFE, premiering on March 1, 1965.This one hour forty five minute weekly late night talk series showcased guest hosts. This series run  lasted four months, the last broadcast airing on June 25, 1965. Guest hosts included: Shelley Berman, Pat Boone, Jack Carter, Allan Sherman, Dave Garroway, Bill Cullen, William B. Williams (announcer of this series run), Eddy Arnold, Dale Robertson, Dick Shawn, Louis Nye, & Jan Murray. 

Form June 28 to October 22, 1965 Les Crane returned to this time slot...the series title remaining, NIGHTLIFE. Les Crane no longer was a solo host. He co-hosted with Dave Garroway, and Nipsy Russell.

Two years later, Les Crane returned to local late night television appearing for eight months on WNEW channel 5 in New York 11:15pm - 12:15am from January 15, 1968 changing time slots on July 8, 1968, 11:45pm - 12:45pm. Final show aired on September 6, 1968, and it was the last time Les Crane would host a late night television talk show.   

NOTE: A two hour radio broadcast profiling Les Crane, including TV Audio Air Check Crane highlights from the ATA archive can be listened to in its entirety. It appears on the ATA website under the link TV CONFIDENTIAL. The segment (SOUNDS OF LOST TELEVISION) was recorded in Pasadena California and aired in 2014 with host Ed Robertson, and guest Phil Gries. 

NOTE: Most all of Les Crane's cumulative 26 months of broadcasting as a talk show host is today non-existent. Tapes were destroyed, erased and whereabouts unknown. The 27 LES CRANE SHOW television air checks archived in the Archival Television Audio, Inc. library is the largest collection known to  exist of extant Les Crane broadcasts in the country.
 
Extant examples existing elsewhere include two broadcast kinescopes archived by The Paley Center for Media (one from 1967, and the other, a broadcast from January 31, 1968 titled "Rich Jews." There is archived at UCLA FILM & TV ARCHIVE four extant examples related to Les Crane, including a preserved 41:36 minute compilation demo/presentation kinescope reel with clips from the New Les Crane Show five night trial run (August 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 1964).

The content of what the UCLA Film & TV Archive's has related to the above programs include the first show with Les Crane introducing his show and  Robert Preston (2:53), a bullfighting segment with Ricardo Montalbaum (6:32), a Jackie Robinson segment debating William F. Buckley with Shelley Winters on the panel (5:40),a Pamela Mason and Artie Shaw segment (3:50), a segment related to New York City cab drivers with Les Crane interviewing a number of them (5:59), guest Irving Schulman, Adela Rogers St.John and two other guests discussing the legendary actress Jean Harlow (4:18), a segment related to "Deathtraps related to playgrounds in New York" and interviewed comments from women on the street (3:11), an in studio interview segment with Marguerite Oswald, mother of Lee Harvey Oswald 4:14), and an in studio interview with Richard Burton and Les Crane sign off (6:03).

Of interest, as to the quality of the video and audio, it is noted many variations exist including tinny sound reproduction, at times, poor audio clarity, at times, echo effect, tinny effect, at times, occasional video glitches, dark, high contrast segments at times, overexposed ("milky") segments. at times. 
 
UCLA compilation tape playback (41 minutes & 38 seconds) evaluation by Phil Gries after viewing:

 1-Open of The New Les Crane Show 0:00-02:50
Audio tinny, and with some echo. 
Poor to Medium sound quality.

 2-Bull fighting segment 2:53-10:00 A pane discussion led by Ricardo Montalbaum and Celeste Holm. 
Base audio, not very clear. Sound and video improve toward the end of the segment. 

 3-Jackie Robinson debate with William F. Buckley, with Shelley Winters supporting Robinson. !0:00-15:40.
Audio sounds like it was microphone recorded. Video with occasional glitches fairly good. 

4-Pamela Mason and Artie Shaw segment. 15:40-19:10.
Audio base quality. Video only fair.

5-Segment profiling cab drivers shot exterior night. Les Crane interviews different cab drivers about Barry Goldwater running for President of the United States. 19:10-24:09.
Underexposed (dark) video. Audio fair. 

6- Marguerite Oswald, mother of accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is interviewed by Les Crane. He asks her if she thinks her son killed the president. 24:09-28:23.
Video contrast, but clean. Audio tinny (sounds as if recorded by microphone). Picture becomes more hazy toward the end with blacks more dispersed.  

7- Guests Irving Schulman, Adela Rogers St. John and others, discuss actress Jean Harlow. 
28:23-31:27.
Hazy video effect, noise heard on audio track.

8-Topic: "Deathtraps for playground in New York." Exterior night interviews of woman on the street commenting. 32:41-35:52.
Video very dark and with contrast. Audio tinny as if microphoned recorded. 

9- Guest Richard Burton is interviewed in studio by Les Crane.
Among the topics are anecdotes by Burton related to actor Peter O'Tool. Crane thanks his audience at home and in the studio for viewing and signs off. 35:52 - 41:36. 
  

NOTE: The Les Crane Show  late night talk program on ABC during the 1964-65 television season pioneered a format of television later embraced by icon Phil Donahue, Crane fell to NBC’s The Tonight Show, a national brand with a decade of broadcasting tenure, proved its dominance.  Donahue began his legendary career in Dayton in 1967, evolving into a daytime programming staple for nearly 30 years.

Les Crane’s daughter Caprice points out that her father used journalism to cover topics and people that others feared to explore.  “He created the shotgun mike,” says Crane of her dad, who passed away in 2008.  “He had guests who did not provide the typical fluff, for example, Malcolm X, Bob Dylan, and the mother of Lee Harvey Oswald.  He had the first publicly gay man on his show.  He was also an amazing listener who helped create a new television format that demanded more information for the listener.  

The Les Crane Show didn’t last long because the person who tries the new thing always gets penalized.  People are afraid of the unknown until it becomes mainstream.”

A renaissance media man for the second half of the 20th century, Crane held interests and influences beyond journalism.  “My dad gave The Mamas and the Papas group its name,” reminds Caprice Crane.  “Casey Kasem credited him with inventing the Top 40 radio format at KRLA.  He also got into the computer business before it was big.  His company was Software Tool Works, which produced the Chess Master computer program.  He was always before his time.”

Crane’s innovative format allowed one of baseball’s biggest heroes, Jackie Robinson, to debate one of conservatism’s biggest allies, William F. Buckley.  Nowhere on television in the mid-1960s could audiences see this type of television fodder.  Unfortunately, The Les Crane Show fell victim to a common policy of television networks destroying tapes because of the shortsighted view that future generations would not be interested.  How wrong they were.                                                 

The film premiere of the movie "The Oscar," starring Stephen Boyd, Eleanor Parker, Jill St. John, Elke Sommer, and Tony Bennett. Live interviews with celebrities on hand atThe Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Army Archerd is the host. 

Commercials included.                                     

John Wayne and an all-star cast tell the story of America. 

Host: John Wayne.      

Duplicate of 9357.       

John Wayne's first TV special is a journey through American history with music, comedy, and more than two-dozen guest stars.
John's guests include Jack Benny as a citizen asking George Washington (Lorne Greene) about that dollar he supposedly threw across the Potomac, Bob Hope and Ann-Margret entertaining the troops at Valley Forge, printer Red Skelton discussing dissent with apprentice Tom Smothers, Lucille Ball as Miss Liberty, and Bing Crosby as Mark Twain, philosophizing with freed slave Frederick Douglass (Roscoe Lee Browne).
Also: Michael Landon as Peter Minuit, buying Manhattan Island from Indian Dan Blocker, Dean Martin as inventor Eli Whitney, Celeste Holm and Dennis Weaver as the parents of young Abe Lincoln, brothers Rick and David Nelson fighting on opposite sides in the Civil War, Phyllis Diller as a 19th-century presidential candidate, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin as the Wright Brothers.
Songs: Johnny Cash: "Ribbon Of Steel," Glen Campbell: "This Is A Great Country," Roy Clark: "Oh Suzanna," Leslie Uggams: "Clementine," Doddletown Pipers: "The Declaration." All: "God Bless America."                           

John Wayne and an all-star cast tell the story of America. 

Host: John Wayne.                        

A star-studded salute to a great lyricist-Oscar Hammerstein 11 (1895-1960). Taped in April 1971 at the University of Southern California.    

Highlights and performers:

"A Cockeyed Optimist "       Dinah Shore
"All The Things You Are"     Helen Hayes
"I Am Going To Like It Here" Miyoshi Umeki
"Why Do I Love You?"         Leslie Uggams 
"Carefully Taught"           Burt Lancaster
"If I Loved You"             John Raitt
Medley:"I Whistle A Happy Tune" "The Folks Who Live On The Hill"
"Shall We Dance?" "I Won't Dance" "Stouthearted Men" "Getting To Know You" "Do Re Mi" ...Raitt, Uggams, Johnny Mercer, Janet Blair
"I Can't Say No" Celeste Holm
"The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" Harve Presnell
"The Desert Song" "Rose Marie" "Wanting You" Jean Fenn, Harve Presnell. 
"It Might As Well Be Spring" Janet Blair
"There Is Nothing Like A Dame" 
Desi Arnaz Jr, Milton Berle, Larry Hagman, Yaphet Kotto, Ryan O'Neal, Robert Stack, Ray Walston, 
"A Puzzlement" Ricardo Montalban 
"Climb Every Mountain" Jean Fenn 
                                                  

    Honoring Broadway's best at the 27th Tony Awards with hosts Rex Harrison, Celeste Holm, Jerry Orbach and Sandy Duncan.                      

Rex Harrison and Celeste Holm host the 27th Annual Tony Awards telecast at the Imperial Theater in New York City. This was the fourth time Julie Harris won a Tony Award and her sixth nomination.                                                              

 The contributions of noted American women over the past 200 years are depicted through dramatizations and newsreel footage. Patricia Neal narrates.
  Women profiled include Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, pioneer suffragettes; Harriet Tubman, who helped free hundreds of slaves; and Margret Sanger, who established the first birth control clinic in the U.S.          

Taped in Green Bay Wisconsin CBS affiliate station. The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award is presented to Bette Davis. Paying tribute to Davis are hostess Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, William Wyler, Liza Minnelli, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Paul Henreid, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lee Grant, Celeste Holm, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Martin Manulis, George Stevens Jr. and Cicely Tyson.   


Duplicate of #845.                       

Taped in Green Bay Wisconsin CBS affiliate station. The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award is presented to Bette Davis. Paying tribute to Davis are hostess Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, William Wyler, Liza Minnelli, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Paul Henreid, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lee Grant, Celeste Holm, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Martin Manulis, George Stevens Jr. and Cicely Tyson.             

Audio Air Check recorded on WBAY Green Bay Wisconsin CBS affiliate station. The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award is presented to Bette Davis. Paying tribute to Davis are hostess Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, William Wyler, Liza Minnelli, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Paul Henreid, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lee Grant, Celeste Holm, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Martin Manulis, George Stevens Jr. and Cicely Tyson.  

Dupe Of # 845                                     

A retrospective on the career of actor Gregory Peck by his friends and colleagues. Interviews with Celeste Holm, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Vincent Price, Lee Remick, Joan Collins, and Sheilah Graham.

Host: Peter Lawford.           

The career of Gregory Peck is profiled.

Host: Peter Lawford         

A night of spectacular stars and entertainment. Tonight, Grammy honors some of the greatest recordings of all time, and the performers who made them legend. Host: Andy Williams.  

Peter Cullen announcer. 
Commercials not recorded. 

This predominately musical hour is rounded out with a tribute to Bing Crosby by daughter Mary and Bob Hope. Other clips of Judy Garland ("Over the Rainbow") and Nat King Cloe ("Unforgettable"). 

HIGHLIGHTS:

"Straighten Up and Fly Right," 
"The Christmas Song"----------------------------------Natalie Cole

"White Christmas"------------------------------------Andy Gibb

"Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage" -------------Peter Allen 

"One O'clock Jump"--------Count Basie and his Orchestra

"Every Day (I Have the Blues)"----------------------Joe Williams

"Oh, What a Beautiful Morning"----------------------John Rait
"Oklahoma"

"I Can't Say No"------------------------------------Celeste Holm

Big Band Medley------------------------------------Andy Gibb

NOTE:

It is interesting that as late as the 1980's very well produced and important television SPEICALS are considered not extant to todays audiences...its original 2" Quad master tapes erased to be used for other programming. By 1981 this practiced had diminished greatly, especially those production broadcasts on CBS Television. But still there are "victims" of such practices as represented by this first and only tribute to THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME which aired as a special one time presentation on CBS on May 18, 1981.

Archival Television Audio, Inc. has had this broadcasts in its inventory for many years, but never played back until a client requested it. Sadly, the audio tape had its own problem issues and at first it appeared that it could not be salvaged at all. 
This tape was a victim of a condition detailed below. it was in very severe condition with 30% of its oxide layer flake off.  However, by "baking" the tape for 13 hours I, Phil Gries, owner of ATA, was able to at least get a transcription discernable dub of this broadcast. It took a number of passes...stop and go...cleaning the tape recorder heads numerous times.  

The sound rendition of this baked tape has sections that are very good, sections that have issues with drop outs, some occasional drops in audio, occasional echo effects of audio, etc. I was able to also use Q tips with Isopropyl alcohol in addition to 
keep audible tonality  as much as possible, keeping content of  this broadcast as much possible, retaining 98% of this broadcast.

The end result is that one can listen to this "lost" broadcast in its entirety with enjoyment realizing its limitations.

STICKY-SHED  SYNDROME  is a condition created by the deterioration of the binders in a magnetic tape, which hold the ferric oxide magnetizable coating to its plastic carrier, or which hold the thinner back-coating on the outside of the tape. This deterioration renders the tape unusable. Some kinds of binder are known to break down over time, due to the absorption of moisture (hydrolysis).

The symptoms of this breakdown can be immediately obvious even when rewinding the tape: tearing sounds and sluggish behavior. If a tape with sticky-shed syndrome is played, the reels will make screeching or squeaking sounds, and the tape will leave dusty, rusty particles on the guides and heads. In some cases, the symptoms are more subtle, causing intermittent dropouts.

This television audio air check seems to be the only existing broadcast record, in this less than pristine playback condition, of this iconic broadcast, not existing in any known archive museum, CBS archives or in any private collection.